She says today's students will be affected by three key economic drivers: automation, globalisation and collaboration.

"Many jobs and careers are disappearing because of automation," Ms Owen said.

"The second driver is globalisation - a lot of different jobs that we're importing and exporting.

"And then thirdly collaboration which is all about this new sharing economy."

After early career ambitions which included being a lawyer "like Ally McBeal", a pathologist and and a pharmacist, Jillian Kenny is now the co-founder of a program that inspires young women to take up engineering.

She says an alarming amount of university and TAFE students are studying in the wrong areas.

"Nearly 60 per cent [of students] at university and nearly 70 per cent at TAFE were studying jobs that will be automated," Ms Kenny said.

Annalee Pope only knew a handful of words of her language, Wakka Wakka, until she started her career in Indigenous language work. She has now played a big part in reviving and strengthening her language.